Book 1: The Tale of the Dark Savior
by CrashCobalt92
Summary: What if another story was thrown into the mix? A story of a another Savior who lived before Emma's parents even got together? The thing is this boy has a handful of problems. His master is always sheltering him, this girl's always yelling at him, even when he tries to say the right thing, and his new brother is secretive for some reason. What's a hero to do? (Hiatus)
1. How It All Began

Chapter One: How It All Began

"Push! Push!" a man's voice cried out.

Inside of an elegant and brightly-colored room, a young woman was screaming in pain, while another man and two middle-aged woman was standing on either side of her. The woman who was screaming was laying on a bed, her reddened face covered in sweat, and her bright red hair frizzled. She was in labor, and it was as painful as she was told it was, but at the end of this, she would finally have someone there for her who would love her unconditionally. Like her mother did before she died. She would enjoy this moment so much more if it didn't hurt so bad.

"I can see the head!" the man called. "Alright, come on, you can do it. We just need one more push."

"Doctor, I have an interesting proposition to share with you!" the woman howled, irritated. "Next time, you can deliver the baby, and I'll tell you to push, and we'll see who has the easier job!"

"Says the one who's not having their hand crushed!" the other man shouted. "Geez, why use magic to torment people in the past when you can crush everything in your hands!"

"Push!" the first man shouted.

The woman did, and her face turned as red as her hair now.

"BLOODY HELL!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Through the screaming, the sounds of a baby crying could be heard. The woman finally relaxed, and saw the doctor taking the bloody baby in his arms to clean.

"Listen to that child cry." one woman said, amazed. "He's got a healthy set of lungs there."

The doctor called one of the midwives over to bring a blanket to wrap the child in, and the midwife then handed the baby over to the new mother.

"It's a boy." she announced.

The woman cried tears of joy as she took her new son in her arms.

"He's beautiful." she sobbed. "He's so beautiful."

The baby's cries silenced, as he was rocked in his mother's arms, and his eyes opened for the first time, taking in his new surroundings. He smiled when he got a good look at his mother's face, and a soft laugh escaped his lips.

"Hello, love, I'm your new mum." the woman greeted, softly.

As she handed her child a rattle to play with, the doctor returned to her side with a clipboard.

"What will the child be named?" he asked.

The woman glanced at him for a moment, then looked back at her son, who was playing with his rattle.

"I thought about it for the longest time. I don't know what kind of man my son will be, but I want him to have a name that everyone will remember." the woman answered. "I've asked my father for advice on a name that wasn't strong or anything like me or the father of my son. We've agreed on the name 'Taran'."

"'Taran'?" the doctor repeated. "Are you sure?"

"I haven't been more sure of anything in my life."

The doctor wrote down the name, just as a woman in a puffy baby blue dress walked into the room.

"Good evening, Zelena." she greeted.

Zelena, the mother, looked up at the fairy, tiredly, about to greet her in return. However, once she saw the frightful look on the fairy's face, she also became uneasy.

"What is it?" she asked. "Is there something wrong?"

"He knows." the visitor announced. "And he's coming."

Zelena looked from her, to her child, then back at her.

"But he can't take him." she pointed out. "He can't take any living mortal with him, it's against Olympian law, Lord Zeus assured me of that."

"Hades can't take a living mortal with him, that's true." agreed the blue fairy. "But now that he knows of Taran's existence, he will find a way to take your child by any means necessary and corrupt him and his destiny. We need to send him to someplace safe."

Zelena shook her head, sadly, as her voice started to crack.

"Please. Don't make me let him go." she begged. "He's all I have left, he brought me and my father together after all this time. The land of Oz is happier with him here."

"He will help you find your happiness again, Zelena. I promise." the fairy reassured her. "The road to your happy endings will be filled with pain and sorrow, but you will find each other again. You've proven that you can let go of your hatred and vengeance for your child, that dedication will reward you in return."

Zelena looked from the fairy down to her child, and shook her head. She really didn't want to be separated from her son so soon.

"I promise you, he will be safe from Hades." the fairy told her. "You won't be separated forever. Upon his return, your family will be greater than you ever imagined, and the pain of loneliness will seem non-existent."

After a bit of processing, Zelena suddenly broke down sobbing, and held her baby close to her. She reletented, and agreed to surrender her child to protect him. The blue fairy made arrangements to throw Hades off of his trail so that the baby could be delivered from Oz safely, and told Zelena to just put the baby's basket onto a cart manned by a peddler. While doing so, without the fairy watching, Zelena took out a small amulet, and tucked it into the baby's blanket.

"Keep this with you, love. So you'll always have a piece of home with you." she whispered. "You'll always have a place in our hearts, just as we hope that we'll always have a place in your heart. Mummy loves you, and grandpa loves you, too. And if grandma were here, she would tell you that she loved you, too."

Taran reached up to grab his mother's index finger in his little hand, and smiled up at her.

"You're a braver person than I, Taran. I don't know if I should be worried or proud." laughed Zelena. "I know you won't remember this, or understand a word that I'm saying, but...be nice to the other children, don't show off your magic, and don't give your caretakers a hard time. Try to stay out of trouble. You have your father's genes, so I expect that you'll find yourself drawn to fights a lot. At least, that's what your uncle says. And always remember that you decide what kind of man you want to be, but try to be a good one. If you find yourself in darkness, there will always be someone there who can guide you back to the light."

"Zelena?" the fairy called out.

Zelena looked at her, and saw the sad smile on her face.

"Zelena, it's time." the fairy told her.

Zelena reluctantly handed the basket over to the fairy, who set it in the cart, and pulled the tarp over it, hiding the top of it from view. The peddler then pulled it along with his horse, leaving Zelena to watch them depart. The fairy flew off into the sky after that, watching the peddler closely. Zelena felt tears starting to build up again, and covered her mouth with both hands to try and hold her pain in. The pain of watching her child leaving becoming more and more unbearable. As the peddler and the fairy disappeared into the distance, Zelena felt a fresh stream of tears rolling down her face. Behind her, she could sense that the evil that she was warned of was standing behind her.

"You're too late." she told him.

The blond-haired man in the dark suit standing behind her seethed in rage.

"Why?" he demanded. "Why did you let them take our child away like that?!"

"Because you don't see him as a son! You would've raised him to be as bitter and hateful as you are now!" the woman screamed back, as she rounded on him. "Our son is meant for more than just helping you get your revenge, he has his own life to live and his own destiny!"

"A destiny that involves killing me. I was told my future, too, and I don't intend to fight my son."

"He wouldn't fight you if you didn't give him a reason to! You will never change, Hades! You'll never let go!"

Hades clenched his hands into fists, and stormed over to grab Zelena, and jerk her around to face him.

"I will find my son again." he promised. "I won't let anyone else turn him against me."

"No one is turning him against you, Hades." Zelena reasoned with him. "You're blinded by your need for revenge."

Hades stared at the woman he loved, shocked. It was their thirst for vengeance that brought them together in the first place. Vengeance against the family that had wronged them. The Lord of the Dead felt that he no longer recognized the woman standing before him now.

"You've let go of your darkness." he realized.

"And you must do the same." begged Zelena. "Please, Hades, enough is enough. We can be a family, we can reunite with our son if you would just let go."

The look on her love's face told her that he wasn't going to let this drop.

"Tell me where our son was taken to." Hades demanded, as calmly as he could muster.

"I left him in the hands of his fairy godmother." replied Zelena. "Even I don't know where she's taken him. But I was assured that I would meet with him again."

"You would trust our baby to a stranger, but not with his father. I see now that our love does not stand a chance after all."

With that, Hades disappeared in a burst of blue flames, and returned to the Underworld. As he strode towards his lair, he looked to the side at his attendant.

"Summon the hounds." he ordered. "I want my son found."

The attendant nodded, and hurried off. Hades then stopped in the center of his lair, and looked down at a portal in the middle of the floor. The image of Zelena walked down the yellow brick road back home appeared, and Hades waved a hand over the image.

"I will find my son again, Zelena." he promised. "For now, I will erase your pain, so that when I find him, we can truly be a happy family together."

* * *

Unknown to either Zelena or Hades, the blue fairy flew up higher and higher into the night sky, with the infant Taran in her arms. She had teleported him into her arms when the peddler disappeared into the woods, just as planned. As the fairy flew through a portal, the baby started to look more and more apprehensive, as if he was sensing that something was not right. On the other side, it looked similar to the world she had come from, but the air felt darker. The fairy continued to fly towards a mountain and landed inside a tunnel, then looked down at the infant in her arms that was looking up at her.

"Welcome to your new home, Taran." she told him.

The fairy changed into a dark-haired woman with a black dress with black lace, and the light that she bore in her eyes was now replaced with pure darkness. She carried the child down through the mines, and stopped before a woman. The woman looked up at the fairy, her eyes full of despair and fear, as the fairy smiled maliciously at her.

"This is Taran, your new charge to care for." the dark fairy announced.

She handed the baby to the woman, who quickly took him with shaking arms.

"Teach him to love and obey his new mother." the fairy commanded. "This boy will serve my cause well."

The fairy walked away, leaving the woman alone with the child, while the other people hacked at the walls with their pickaxes. The woman studied the child carefully, watching as he stared back at her, unafraid, and a small smile crossed her features. A small hopeful smile.

* * *

Been outlining and brainstorming this for a while, one of the projects I wanted to work on for about a year or two. I lost count. Work with me for the time paradoxes though, please. I planned it out this way to help make this story work. If you don't like it, there are plenty of other stories on the site to read, and nobody's making you read this. Not trying to be disrespectful, but come on.

I do not own the title or anything related to the Chronicles of Prydain, which is owned by Lloyd Alexander. I don't own the OUAT series either. If I did, I'd be looking for a way to fit Kingdom Hearts into the mix, and I'd be having a team help me out. And Atlantis would be a part of it, too, because it's the coolest Disney movie. Digressing, all I own is the plot. At least the plot that I made.

Update (9/19/18): I'm going to try and extend the first chapter a bit, chapter four is halfway done, I've been trying to figure out a way to extend the Neverland Arc. Chapter Titles will be renamed.


	2. The Legend Begins

Chapter Two: The Legend Begins

"Alright, you slouches!" a harsh voice shouted. "Get to work!"

Taran's eyes opened in the weak light of the dungeons, and sat up on his cot. He trudged out of his cell, and followed the other workers into the mines. At the age of twelve, Taran was one of the youngest of all of the workers, and he didn't get much special treatment, but that's a story for later. For as long as he could remember, he hated this place. Not because some of the prisoners hated it, but because something deep inside his heart resented the idea of how they were treated.

The prisoners were tasked with mining for dark fairy dust every day, and those who didn't work hard or fast enough were punished with torture. Lashes, beatings, some horrible enough that even the toughest-looking guy around wouldn't talk about it. Whatever it was, it kept the victim in line. Taran had been subjected to his fair share of torture sessions, but never seemed to stop getting into trouble, much to the disappointment of his "mother". The woman that the Black Fairy left Taran in the care of was forced to instruct the child that he was to obey his new mother's commands, but Taran never did. He was once a guard to the prisoners, instructed to discipline them if they ever got out of line, but Taran instead offered his assistance to those in need, earning his adopted mother's ire.

At the age of ten, Taran was stripped of his former duty, and sent to work in the mines along with the rest of the people he decided to defend, but to the Black Fairy's surprise, Taran did not seem very regretful of his decisions. The more she oppressed the people, the more Taran fought back. He was too stubborn and prideful to stand down. Taran picked up his pickaxe, and started hacking away at the cavern walls, a stoic expression on his face. Many thoughts raced within his head, he wanted to fight back with everything he had, but why? What was driving him to have these thoughts? Why was he so frustrated and angry? Nothing made sense to him.

"You look like you have a lot on your mind." a voice spoke.

Taran looked beside him to see a tall man standing beside him, casually mining away at the wall in front of them. The stranger was taller than he was, had dark black hair that was spiked upwards, and dark blue eyes. His tunic and pants were dirty and torn up, just like almost every other worker's were, but this man's face was much more cleaner compared to the others. Taran shook his head, ignoring him, and continued to mine.

"So, what say we blow this ambrosia stand, and hit the proverbial road?" the stranger asked, quietly.

"If you're going to blend in as one of the workers, you need to work on your disguise." Taran responded, just as quietly. "I never met you before, and I don't trust who I don't know. Mother will be angry if she learns you're here."

The man let out a quiet laugh, a grin on his face.

"I've been popping in and out of here a few times, and she hasn't caught on yet." he stated, coolly. "I've come to bust you out of here, Taran."

Taran stopped the tip of his axe before it could connect with the rocky wall, cold chills running through his spine.

"What did you call me?" he asked.

"That's your name, isn't it?" the man asked. "The name your real mother gave you."

For a moment, Taran couldn't speak. He was frozen in shock. The fact that this random stranger knew his name surprised him. Only the prisoners, the guards, the nursemaids, and the Black Fairy knew it.

"Wh-Who are you?" he asked.

"Ooh, that's kinda tough. I don't exactly have a name." the man answered. "Point is, I'm sort of a guardian angel who can travel between realms. As I said, I came here to find you."

"Why me?"

"Because you're not supposed to be here."

The stranger looked around to make sure nobody was watching or listening in on them, then looked back at Taran.

"You don't belong in this world." he explained. "You've got a greater calling than being a slave to some hack fairy. A much greater calling."

"What calling?" asked Taran.

"Well, what do you think you're destined for?"

Taran thought about it long and hard, but he couldn't draw up much of an answer.

"Being a slave to mother until she keels over?" he answered.

The mystery stranger lowered his axe, and faceplanted into the rocky wall, groaning softly.

"Lord Zeus, give me strength." he muttered.

"What's a Lord Zeus?" Taran asked, innocently.

As much as the man understood that the slave driver of this realm didn't permit the children to much of an education, it didn't stop him from thinking about smacking the child upside the head.

"I don't get paid enough for this job." he muttered, resuming to mine.

"Look, I'm not stupid, I've been educated-" Taran started, insulted.

"On what? Clearly not enough."

"I can read and write."

"That's not enough,-"

The man and Taran's conversation was cut off when one of the other children working nearby collapsed from exhaustion. Taran and the mysterious stranger working beside him looked at the fallen child, and watched in horror as a guard came by with a whip in his hand. As the guard raised the whip up over his head, preparing to strike the frightened and exhausted child, Taran felt his hands clench into fists. It enraged him to watch the child being treated like this. As the whip came down on the child's back, each cry that echoed throughout the caves caused the workers to flinch.

"Please! Stop!" the child sobbed. "It hurts!"

The guard ignored him, and raised the whip over his head, and prepared to strike again. Taran immediately rushed into action, and reared the pickaxe back.

"He said 'stop'!" he roared.

The pickaxe was swung around, and the tip of it impaled the kneecap of the guard, who screamed in agony. The mysterious stranger watched amazed at the feat, and smiled.

"Little bastard!" the guard growled, menacingly.

Taran didn't seem to be listening. Fury filled his face, and his heart was pounding into his ears like war drums. Only one word had crossed his mind: Fight. It echoed over and over again, relentlessly. So that's just what Taran did. He fought. His body moved of it's own accord, and Taran felt that he was controlling his actions from outside his body. His fists slammed into the guard's face relentlessly, and the guard seemed to be shouting something, but Taran couldn't hear him. He was finally broken out of his trance when two rough hands suddenly grabbed him, and pulled him off. The mystery man and the rest of the workers watched as Taran was dragged off by two of the other guards, while the injured one was carried off in another direction. The stranger sidestepped out of view of the workers, and took out a dirty brown newsboy cap from his pocket, then placed it onto his head. He vanished in an instant, and casually strolled back into the mines, and went down the path that his young friend was dragged through.

Finally, after many twists and turns, the stranger arrived at one dungeon where Taran was in the midst of his punishment that the guards were subjecting him to. Taran's arms were yanked upwards by chains, as he was forced onto his knees. His shirt was torn off of him, while the end of a whip cracked against his back every few seconds or so. After twenty times, not a sound escaping the boy's lips, the guard lowered the whip.

"When are you going to learn?" a female's voice spoke.

A woman in a black dress strolled into view, standing before Taran, whose head was bowed low.

"You fight and you fight, and it all ends like this." she continued, condescendingly. "Why do you continue to disobey your mother?"

Taran finally lifted his head, shooting a dark glare at the dark fairy, a fire burning in his icy blue eyes, appearing similar to that of his father's hair. Even though he had said nothing, his glare spoke in volumes. The stranger watched as the torture continued, but Taran did not cry out once. He was impressed with the child's courage. The man returned to the dungeons, pocketing his hands as he did so, and waited at Taran's cell for the boy to return. Some time later, the workers returned to their cells, with Taran returning last, having been dragged back by the two guards from before. The back of his shirt was stained with blood, which was soaking the top of his pants. After the boy was thrown back into his cell, the door shut behind him, and the guards walked away.

Once the guards had gone entirely, Taran got up off the bed, and lifted the bed up. A copy of The Hobbit was found sitting on the support board. Taran retrieved the book, and flipped it open to read. Like some children, Taran worked less than the adults because the Black Fairy would have the children educated. They would learn the basics, and more importantly why the Black Fairy was to be obeyed. Taran was a fast learner for his age, as he had been able to read on his own since he was two. The nursemaid who cared for him snuck him a book that he would read when his "mother" wasn't looking, but the Black Fairy found out about it, and tried to keep it away from Taran. After the past few times that he had gotten his book taken away, Taran learned to hide the book better so that she couldn't take it, and read it less and less to avoid suspicion. The other prisoners felt sympathy for the boy and a few of them even helped Taran learn a few tricks to avoid detection as a way of repaying him for standing up for them.

As Taran continued to read from his book, he could hear a familiar voice speaking.

"'I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it's very difficult to find anyone.'" it spoke.

Taran looked up to see the stranger standing outside of his cell, his back to him.

"That's what Gandalf the Grey said to Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit." the man explained. "Chapter one, I believe."

"You've read this?" asked Taran.

"How do you think your nanny got a hold of it, kid? I gave it to her and suggested that she let you read it."

Taran closed the book in his hands, looking down at it.

"This was yours?" he asked.

"Let me pose you a question, grasshopper. What was Bilbo's response?" the stranger responded.

"He refused, because a Baggins never had any adventures or did anything unexpected."

"Sort of a status quo or a pecking order thing. For example, you've got the royals, the knights, and the peasants. Kinda like what's going on here. You've got the boss, the Black Fairy or Mommy Dearest, the fairy dust, then you've got the guards, the nursemaids, and the prisoners."

Taran looked up at the man, waiting for him to get to the point.

"So? What will it be?" asked the stranger. "You going to give this adventure a try, or fall in line like a good little mama's boy?"

Taran thought about his decision long and hard, he'd like to leave this place, and see the world beyond it, but he couldn't leave the others to the Black Fairy's mercy. If he were to leave, she would be furious, and the people who were so kind to him would be punished severely.

"Not without them." he declared. "If I don't belong here, they shouldn't either."

"Getting all of these people out of this realm won't be so easy." said the stranger. "I don't know how many people are here, and then there's the time difference. A minute outside is two days and 3 hours in here. Even a second is about a half an hour."

"Then I can gather everyone else in that time."

The man stared hard at the young boy in the cell. His gaze nor his tone never wavered. He wasn't leaving without the others.

"Alright, but if we do this, we have to do this right." he decided. "This kind of strategy is like a game of chess. To get the little pieces across the board to make something great of them, we have to take the big pieces out of the way."

The man reached into his pocket, and withdrew it, his hand holding a small box-shaped item.

"What is that?" asked Taran.

"Just a little trinket I swiped. From who, I don't know, but it's legit. It's a capture device able to seal away even the greatest dark force alive. It can contain foes as powerful as the Dark One, even a fairy."

"Like the Black Fairy?"

"Correct."

The stranger then used magic to unlock the cell door, and handed Taran the box.

"I'll leave Mommy Dearest to you." he stated.

Taran looked between him and the box, startled. How was he supposed to get someone as powerful as the Black Fairy in this small trinket? Then he noticed that the man was handing him something else. A few small vials.

"They're all I've got, so make them count." the man explained. "Each contains squid ink, a powerful substance that can paralyze those that it touches, but only for a limited amount of time. I think about five minutes."

"Just splash her with it, then capture her. Got it." said Taran. "How hard can it be?"

* * *

The following morning, the prisoners were released from their cells to get back to work. The stranger filled in the other prisoners on the rest of the plan, and asked for them to act natural so not to arouse suspicion. The plan was for Taran to wait in his cell for the Black Fairy, who would see why he wasn't working. When she showed up, Taran was to immediately splash the ink onto the Black Fairy, wait for her to be immobilized, and wave his hand around the box twice to activate it, and capture her. While waiting for her to show up, Taran sat down on his bed, and read his book, which blocked the box from view, and hidden behind a few of the pages was an open vial ready for Taran to use. As he waited, he concentrated less on reading, and more on thinking about how bad an idea this was. There was no way that this was going to work. The Black Fairy was too clever and too powerful for this stupid trick.

Finally, Taran heard footsteps marching his way, and tried to look as calm as possible. It was do or die time. The Black Fairy strode towards his cell, and looked down at him.

"I don't remember giving you a day off to read." she called.

"And I don't remember asking for visitors." responded Taran. "I don't have a kettle to put on."

He could feel the anger rising off of the Black Fairy, and tried hard to keep his composure intact. The cell door swung open, and she started walking towards Taran.

"Give me the book, and get to work." she ordered.

Out of panic, Taran held up the vial, and splashed the contents onto the Black Fairy. She gave a yell of surprise as she was drenched in the ink.

"What is this?!" she demanded.

Taran stared in surprise, waiting for her to attack him, but she didn't.

"You little bastard!" the Black Fairy snarled. "How dare you! When I get loose, you're going to regret this! I promise you!"

As she continued ranting, Taran sat on his bed in a frozen panic. Then he remembered that he was supposed to do something else. He stood up, the book and the box he was given tumbling to the floor. Taran scrambled to the ground, and picked up the box, it fumbling in his hands.

"Okay, how do I use this again?" he wondered outloud.

As he tried to remember how to pull the Black Fairy into the box, the Black Fairy was starting to regain mobility. Taran focused for a moment, and finally remembered after about ten seconds, then started waving a hand over the gem on top of the box. He did it just in time, too, as the Black Fairy finally broke free from the ink's powers a few seconds after the red fog became unleashed from the container. As the Black Fairy lunged at Taran, Taran fell backwards, while keeping the box held towards her, and the smoke began to draw her in.

"No! No!" screamed the Black Fairy.

As she was ensnared by the red cloud, Taran continued to sit on the ground, staring up at her, wide-eyed. The Black Fairy struggled to get free, and glared at the boy.

"I underestimated you, Savior!" she snarled, furiously. "I should have killed you the moment I found you! I should have tried harder to crush your spirit!"

"All I did was capture you, _mother_." Taran responded, mockingly. "This was a team effort. You underestimated the very people you enslaved, and you underestimated the bonds between us. That was your downfall."

The Black Fairy tried to reach out towards him, and was sucked into the box with one last shriek of defeat. The red fog was pulled in with her, and the light in the gem faded down again. While Taran was trying to catch his breath, and steady his heartbeat, the stranger and a few of the guards rushed towards his cell. Upon seeing the box on the ground, and his young friend's expression, the stranger started to laugh.

"You actually did it." he said.

"So, the Black Fairy, she is gone?" one of the guards asked.

"She got sucked into this thing." replied Taran. "From how she flipped out on me, I'd say she wasn't too thrilled of having been one-upped. So I guess this means she's stuck in here for a long, long time."

"Let's hope." the stranger said.

He took the box from Taran, and pocketed it, then looked at the guards.

"Alright, round up the other prisoners. The kid and I have much to discuss." he ordered. "Taran, come with me."

Taran picked up his fallen book, and followed after the stranger, while the guards set off to free the other prisoners.

"So, now that we've got nothing to worry about, I will answer a few more questions that you have for me." the stranger told Taran. "So, fire away. I'll answer them the best I can."

"Okay, what's your name?" asked Taran. "You've got to have a name. Everyone does."

"Never been given one. No one ever thought to give me a name."

"Well, when we get out of this, we'll figure out one for you."

"Taran, I'm afraid that you won't be going where these people are going."

Taran looked up at the stranger, confused.

"Where am I going?" he asked.

"You've aged too quickly after your birth, so we need to send you to a place where time stands still so you can train and learn to take on your destiny." the man answered. "As I've told you, you've got a greater calling."

"Does it have to do with what she called me? The Black Fairy called me a savior."

"Saviors are a special kind of hero, and they don't come around often. There are two kinds of Saviors, the Light Saviors, which are born from the pure True Love of two heroes, and Dark Saviors, which are born from the corrupted True Love of two villains. What they have in common is that they are also chosen by destiny. Children are often born from both, so you'd think that Saviors are born every day. You know, a regular Savior Bargain Sale. It's a joke that my friend told me, you'll get it in the future. Anyway, I'm not sure entirely how this Chosen Savior business is done, but that's all I know."

"So, which am I?"

"Sorry, I'm under orders to not tell you. I was only allowed to let you know that you're the Savior, and I'm to help oversee your growth here. But once I send you over to the next realm, I've got to let your guardian angel look after you."

"You mean, I'm not gonna see you again?"

"You will. I'll check in on you every once in a while, but I can't help you cheat on your next test. This time, you've gotta be a hero on your own. But I can help you prepare, which is why we're going to pick up a few things."

The two of them walked inside a room, which Taran recognized to be the Black Fairy's lair.

"Okay, do you know where she hides all that fairy dust?" the stranger asked. "The stuff is dangerous in the wrong hands, so I've gotta destroy it."

"Uh, there's a room in the back where she keeps it. I don't think you can find the key here though." replied Taran.

"That's okay. I'll just use this skeleton key."

The man took a small oddly-shaped key from his pocket, and held it up. To Taran's surprise, it had no teeth.

"Might as well use a chisel to open the door." he said.

"You'd be surprised. They call it a skeleton key because it can fit into any lock. I nicked it from a Dark One a long time ago. I think his name was...Zoso? No, I think it was his predecesor. But before I get to my dirty work, I've got to get you ready for take-off."

The stranger walked over to Taran, and examined his torn clothing.

"Gonna have to patch these up, give you a sword to defend yourself with, maybe a shield..." he muttered.

"Wait, but what about the others?" asked Taran. "I won't leave without them."

"Well, at least you've got your priorities straight. Relax, kid, I'm a man of my word. I'll get them out of here, but I'm making separate trips."

The man then waved a hand towards Taran, and the boy became shrouded in a cloud of dark gray smoke for a few seconds. He now wore a beige long-sleeved shirt under a green vest, green pants, and brown shoes, and he had a sword strapped onto his waist with a small round shield strapped onto his right arm.

"I'm not a healer, so you'll have to keep those bandages on for a while longer." the man told him. "Little advice before I send you off, don't go throwing your title around often. Try to keep the fact that you're the Savior a secret, or you'll be hunted down constantly. Hero business is not fun and games."

"Yeah, I know. I've read." said Taran. "Speaking of, you got any other books that I can read?"

"I'll drop some off every chance I get. In my line of work, I meet people from the Land Without Magic who say that the reading material there is pretty good. Alright, time to send you off, kid. I've got more jobs to get back to once I'm finished in this realm. Grab my hand, and hold on."

Taran walked over to take the man's hand, and in seconds, they disappeared in a dark green cloud of smoke. The Black Fairy's lair became replaced by a thick forest with the sounds of the wind blowing through the leaves.

"Whoa." gasped Taran.

He looked around the forest, amazed. They were really out of the mines.

"So cool!" he exclaimed. "Mister, when you deliver you really-"

He turned back to the stranger only to see that he was gone again.

"Mister?" he called out. "Mister!"

* * *

A short time later, in the outside world's terms, the stranger walked through another forest, and stopped by a fence next to a clearing. He waited for a while, then an old man in red robes walked towards him.

"So, did you find him?" the older man asked.

"Naturally." the stranger replied, handing him the box. "You hired the right man for the job."

"Don't get carried away. There is still much to do. Where is the boy now?"

"Neverland. The only place I can think of where time stands still. Twelve years there should be enough."

The old man nodded, and pocketed the box containing the Black Fairy.

"Apprentice, tell me, will the Black Fairy's meddling and Taran's time on Neverland change his destiny?" the stranger asked.

"In all honesty, my friend, I don't know." the elderly man answered. "But who knows, this boy is destined for greatness. If he truly has his mother's caring heart, he might change many lives for the better. We'll just have to keep our eye on him."

* * *

I know this went by fast, but with the rules of the Dark Realm, it had to be done before the day was done. I initially had other plans for Taran in my earlier drafts, but upon re-watching Season 6, I wondered about how the people in the Dark Realm knew about Saviors, why they believed that a Savior could defeat the Black Fairy, and how the Black Fairy knew that the squid ink's magic couldn't stop her for long.

The mystery man helping Taran will not be named for some time, but I've got a name picked out for him, and you guys will be seeing more of him often. Taran's time on Neverland will not be as short as his time in the Dark Realm or Oz, I've already got some stuff planned out. I ask in advance that you guys not kill me. Oh, and Arawn won't be making an appearance for a long time, and Gwydion will have a special role to play in the future, so he won't be accompanying Taran on any adventures.

I do not own anything related to the Chronicles of Prydain, which is owned by Lloyd Alexander. I don't own the OUAT series either. I don't own the Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien does.

Update: My mistake. Taran does not count as an OC in this fic, even if he hasn't been introduced in OUAT officially.


	3. Fateful Encounter

Chapter Three: Fateful Encounter

Taran walked through the jungle for about an hour, and saw no sign of life around. Not the stranger who helped him escape, not any of the other workers from the mines, nobody. He was alone. Needless to say, this wasn't what the boy had in mind when he thought about being free from the Black Fairy. It was like trading one prison in for another.

"Not my idea of an adventure." grumbled Taran. "I should've stayed in the mines."

He continued to wander around the dark, thick forest for a while longer, until he heard a sound nearby. The sound of someone running nearby. Multiple people running.

"I think he's this way!" a boy's voice shouted.

"Come on!" another boy called next.

Taran tucked his book under his belt, and quickly ducked down behind a bush to hide from whoever was nearby. He had enough of trusting strangers for a while. Looking through the brush, he saw a boy wearing a dirty white shirt and black pants racing off past him with a frightened look on his face. He looked about the same age as Taran did. The new boy's pursuers wore different clothing, similar to the clothes that the workers in the mines wore, but with cloaks. The boys chasing after the other boy were armed with torches, bows, arrows, and spears. Upon seeing them, Taran was instantly reminded of the child who was being whipped back in the mines.

"Why me?" he sighed, under his breath.

Taran crept away from the bushes, and scurried down the trail again, trying to keep his head down so that the other boys wouldn't see or hear him. However, he tripped and fell after a bit, and the sword that the stranger gave him tumbled out of the sheath. Taran looked up at it, surprised that he had forgotten about it, and picked it up, racing after the first boy again. The boy that was being chased had stopped at the shores, and was looking around for a way to escape. There was none unless he was a talented swimmer.

"It looks like we win again, Baelfire." one of the chaser's voices announced.

Baelfire, the boy who was being pursued, slowly turned to face the cloaked figures, his face drained of color. He was surrounded by them, there had to be twenty of those kids in cloaks, and each of them were pointing their weapons at their prey. The blond-haired kid in the front seemed to be the leader of the group, he had a smile on his face similar to the one that was usually on the Black Fairy's face, and that sent chills throughout Taran's spine.

"Alright, let's go." the blond-haired boy called. "Pan wants a word with you."

Pan? So this kid wasn't the true leader? Back with Baelfire, he didn't move a muscle. He looked ready to fight before going anywhere with these kids, so the hooded boys started moving forward menacingly. Taran gripped the shield in one hand, and the sword in the other, then lunged forward in front of the boy called Baelfire, staring down the other boys.

"Where'd he come from?!" asked one boy.

"Who are you?" the blond-haired boy demanded.

Taran didn't answer at first. Did he dare use his Savior title to try and scare the boys away? Would it work? He remembered that the mysterious stranger from the mines told him not to use it, but it was him against a group of children just like him. How much harm could it do?

"I'm called the Savior!" Taran announced, bravely. "And if you do not back off, you will pay the price!"

Unfortunately, his declaration didn't have much of an effect on the other boys, as they began to laugh.

"A savior?" a boy standing next to the blond-haired kid laughed. "What a load of nonsense!"

"What makes you think that you're of any threat, kid?" the blond-haired boy asked.

Taran just sheathed his sword, and tackled him to the ground, punching him over and over again, while the other boys tried to pry him off.

"Get him off! Get him off!" one of the other boys cried out.

Baelfire knelt down to pick up a handful of sand, and waited for Taran to be pulled off of the blond kid, who got back up again, blood trickling down from a cut in his lip.

"You've got a lot of nerve picking a fight with the Lost Boys." the blond-haired boy stated. "Pan will love to meet you."

"No, he won't!" shouted Baelfire.

He threw the handful of sand towards his tormentors, and blinded a few of them. The moment that they started scrubbing at their faces to get the sand out, Baelfire grabbed Taran by the wrist, and pulled him away, heading back into the forest.

"After them!" one of the boys shouted.

He and the other Lost Boys chased after Taran and Baelfire, as they dashed through the forest to get away. Baelfire kept a vice grip on his ally's wrist to keep them from getting separated from each other, and pulled him from one direction to another.

"What's their problem?" asked Taran.

"You're new here, aren't you?" asked Baelfire.

"You could say that."

"I'll explain everything later. We've got to get away from these guys."

Baelfire led Taran through the forest, and suddenly jerked on his hand, pulling him to the side.

"Okay, ow?" grunted Taran.

"Dreamshade. You'll thank me later."

The two boys continued to run until Baelfire suddenly stopped at by a rocky cliff covered by vines and brush.

"What are you doing?" asked Taran.

"Shut up and help me pull." replied Baelfire.

He grabbed a vine, and started to pull, with Taran helping him out. The sound of a rock moving could be heard, then Taran could see a hole opening in the cliff.

"Whoa." he breathed, amazed.

After Baelfire tied the end of the vine to the side, he walked towards the entryway.

"Come on." he called.

"Shouldn't we seal this off?" asked Taran.

"I've got that covered."

Taran reluctantly followed the boy inside the cave, and looked around, while Baelfire lit the torches inside. The inside of the cave was decorated with drawings on the walls, and there were dishes made out of wood, and some coconuts nearby. After blocking the entrance off with another boulder, Baelfire walked over to Taran, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"I don't think we'll be seeing them for a while." he said. "Now, who are you? I've never seen you on the island before."

Taran thought his answer over carefully before responding. This was still all too new to him, and he didn't feel comfortable about letting his guard down around new people yet. However, there was something about this boy that made Taran feel at ease.

"My name's Taran." he answered. "I don't know where I come from, I just know that I used to live in the mines, that's all I remember."

"The mines?" repeated Baelfire. "You don't look like a dwarf."

"I should hope not. I haven't a beard, and I'm too tall."

Baelfire didn't appear to get the joke, because he didn't even smile a little.

"Well, we've got to work on a different name for you." he told Taran. "If there's one thing I've learned in life, names have power."

"They do?" asked Taran.

"I learned this from my papa. Names hold more power than you can ever imagine. They can be used as a weapon against you."

Baelfire paced back and forth for a while, as if thinking, then shook his head.

"I can't think of one." he muttered. "We'll think more about it later."

Taran nodded, mutely. He didn't like the idea of going with a new name right now anyways. He liked his name. It was great.

"Well, Taran, I'll give you this, wherever you're from, you must've gone through a lot to get this brave." admitted Baelfire. "You've even got a sword and a shield with you. You must be a warrior."

Taran looked at him, taken aback. He helped his fellow workers out, that's true, but that didn't make him a warrior.

"Whoa, I can fight, but I'm no warrior." he told his friend. "I don't even know how to use a sword right."

Taran then remembered that he had no idea where he was still, and maybe this boy might be able to provide the answers.

"Alright, now it's my turn to ask a few questions. Who were those guys, why were they chasing you, and where in blazes are we?" he asked.

"Oh, they're the Lost Boys. Loyal followers of Peter Pan himself." explained Baelfire. "The Shadow brings children here and never lets them leave, that's why they call this place Neverland."

"Wonderful. Talk about trading one prison for another. Now, this Peter Pan, what's his story?"

"He's someone that you must always avoid. I've met some terrible people, but none are as terrible as Pan. He acts nice and friendly, but he's cruel and heartless. He's the one who sends the Shadow to bring boys to him, some even younger than us. If anyone tries to leave, his Shadow will rip our shadows from us, and kill us. I've seen it happen, when Pan used a pirate for an example."

Taran slowly took this in, as his insides started to feel more colder than ever. He never thought that he'd meet someone as bad as the Black Fairy outside of the mines. He was beginning to wish that he had never left the mines. As he began to think about what he had just got himself into, his stomach started to growl. He hadn't even had any gruel before he left.

"Right, so, where's the cook at?" asked Taran. "I'm so hungry, I could actually settle for gruel."

"Well, it'll be a while before those Lost Boys go to sleep, then we can get out there and forage." replied Baelfire. "I know of a place where we could get some fish."

"Huh, I never had fish before. If it's better than gruel, count me in."

Meanwhile, elsewhere on the island, the Lost Boys were reporting what had happened moments ago to their leader, a tall teenage with short brown hair and wore a green and brown tunic with a belt around his waist, and brown pants. While he didn't seem too much of a threat at a first glance, his green eyes held a degree of malevolence and mischief in them. After the blond-haired kid finished telling the dark haired boy what had happened, he waited for the leader of the Lost Boys to answer.

"So, Baelfire has a new friend called the Savior?" the latter mused. "Capture them, and bring them to me. I want to meet this Savior and find out how he came to Neverland, because the Shadow hasn't left to bring us any new recruits for a while."

A few hours later, Baelfire and Taran, they stepped out of the cave with a couple of spears and a basket, ready to catch their meal. As they walked, Baelfire was telling Taran about what it was like in the Enchanted Forest.

"Really?" asked Taran. "There's really orcs out there?"

"And according to my papa, they're giant." replied Baelfire. "There's also fairies and dwarves and knights, too."

"What about wizards? I wonder if I could meet someone like Gandalf out there."

Baelfire hesitated a little before answering.

"I-I don't know." he replied, uneasily.

Taran looked at him, and noticed that his new friend was looking nervous.

"You alright, man?" he asked.

"Y-Yeah." replied Baelfire.

The boys headed out to the edge of the island by a beach, a good distance away from the camp where the Lost Boys lived. The only sounds that could be heard were the crickets chirping and the waves crashing onto the sand. While Baelfire set down the basket and his spear, Taran knelt down onto the sand and scooped up some water into his hands. He splashed his face with it to clean the dirt from it, then splashed some into his dirty blond hair, feeling much more refreshed than ever before.

"That feels good." he sighed.

"So, are there other children from these mines?" asked Baelfire.

Taran looked back at him, and nodded.

"I was the youngest there," he answered. "But I'm a little more stronger than some of the other kids."

"You mean there's no babies or little kids there?" Baelfire pressed on.

"Nope."

Taran really didn't want to talk too much about it. His head was already dizzy enough with what had just happened in a matter of a few hours, and now he had to tell another kid what was going on? No thank you.

"Okay, so how do we do this?" he asked, deciding to change the topic.

"It's all a matter of patience, and knowing when to strike." answered Baelfire. "You take your spear, pointed end down, and wait to see a fish in the water."

He picked up his spear, and walked over to the edge beside Taran. He scanned the water below, and waited. Then his face flickered with excitement.

"There's one." he announced.

Sure enough, there was a small fish swimming around before them. Baelfire repositioned his grip on the spear, and lunged. However, it missed, and the fish got away.

"One of life's many lessons, Taran: You win some, and you lose some." he sighed.

"Noted." agreed Taran.

He waited until he spotted a fish, and changed his grip as Baelfire had done, and tried to stab the fish, but ended up falling in. Baelfire watched as his new friend emerged from the water coughing and spluttering, and cracked up laughing.

"Another of life's many lessons: Water isn't meant to go down your windpipe or nose." coughed Taran.

Baelfire continued to laugh at his friend, as he wrung out his shirt. Taran felt glad that he took his book out of his belt beforehand, but it didn't make him feel less embarrassed. Suddenly, Baelfire stopped laughing, and Taran looked up at him, confused, his grip on his shirt relaxing.

"What?" he asked.

Baelfire quickly shushed him, looking alert, and turned to look around the forest. The hand gripping his spear tightened, and his knuckles turned white. Taran picked up his spear, and readied himself also, holding his breath. Moments later, the shadows moved from within the forest, and more cloaked figures emerged into the moonlight. It was the Lost Boys, and the blond-haired kid was among them.

"Felix." Baelfire groaned, hoarsely.

Felix, the blond-haired boy, smiled at him and Taran, in an attempt to appear friendly.

"Where were our manners before?" he asked, good-naturedly. "We had a new boy on the island, and we didn't invite him to share in a good meal with us."

Taran realized that he was talking about him, and smiled nervously.

"Uh, I'm good." he responded. "Baelfire and I were just catching some fish."

"Baelfire is more than welcome to join us." offered Felix. "Pan wants to welcome you to Neverland personally."

"I'm flattered, but I must insist."

Taran and Baelfire then turned to leave, only to run into a wall of Lost Boys, aiming the tips of their spears at them.

"Whoever said that you had a choice in the matter?" one dark-haired boy asked.

The other boys raised their spears also, aiming it at the two, who held up their hands in surrender, while dropping their own weapons. The group of Lost Boys then bound their hands behind their backs and forced them through the forest at spear point. As they neared the Lost Boys' camp, Taran saw more boys up ahead. Some looked younger than he did, others looked older, and they all looked different from him. Different hair color, different skin color, different heights, different faces. It was amazing. Well, it would be, if he and Baelfire weren't at the mercy of a sociopath.

As they entered the camp, all eyes fell on him and Baelfire, and Taran immediately felt as though he was back in the mines again, in trouble with the Black Fairy. Taran wished that he had his sword still, but it had been taken from him when he was seized. He would have to rely on his fists. No problem. But would Baelfire be able to fend for himself? That was the real problem. Then again there were no grown-ups here, just a bunch of kids with spears. That was okay. How tough could they be? Then Taran remembered that he was the one with his hands tied behind his back. Fantastic. He felt hope fade little by little again. Suddenly, Taran and Baelfire were pulled to a stop by two of the Lost Boys, and Felix and the dark-haired boy stepped forward. They didn't say anything. They apparently didn't need to, because a boy with tidier hair got up, and walked towards them. His attire looked a little similar to what Taran was wearing, green threads and all, but had patches on his clothing. His eyes shone with mischief when he looked at Taran, who felt apprehensive at once. The boy raised his arms, and smiled in greeting.

"Welcome, Savior." he greeted. "I don't know how you got here, but anyone who would willingly come to Neverland without my knowing it, that's impressive."

The way he put it, that made Taran feel all the more foolish. He made a mental note to kick the guy who brought him here.

"I know that 'Savior' is not a real name, so please, tell us all who you are." the boy continued, loudly.

Taran exchanged a quick look at Baelfire, who shook his head violently in response. He trusted Baelfire's advice that names could be used against you, so he thought fast, but couldn't come up with one. The names from his book all vanished from memory, too. Suddenly, a hand reached out and shoved him a little.

"Hey!" Felix called out, harshly. "Pan asked your name."

Taran didn't answer, his eyes fell down to his book. That was when he noticed it. The word written on the book, on the fore-end of it in black. Pan seemed to noticed this as well, as he reached out and snatched the book away to examine it.

"'Tarzan'?" he read, thoughtfully. "So, that's your name."

Well, it was better than nothing. Whoever wrote the name there was a life saver. After Taran nodded in confirmation, Pan reached over to clap a hand on his shoulder, and push him forward.

"Boys, allow me to introduce our newest Lost Boy, Tarzan!" he declared.

The other boys cheered and shouted their approval, while Taran exchanged a mystified glance with a just-as-nervous Baelfire. He had no idea what was going on, but they had no choice but to roll with it for now. Then something occurred Taran. That name wasn't on the book before. How did it get there? Did that mystery man have something to do with it?

* * *

Taran meets Baelfire and the Lost Boys, then he meets Peter Pan. Considering that Peter Pan is Rumplestiltskin's father, and that names do have power in this series, I wanted Taran to go by a different name to protect his identity. Besides, a lot of the characters in OUAT have multiple identities and are different incarnations, right? Rumplestiltskin being the Beast and the Crocodile, the Blue Fairy being the Fairy Godmother, too? David being the Pauper and Prince Charming? For Taran, it was mostly the fact that the pronunciation of his name and Tarzan being similar, the fact that he's going to be living in a jungle for a while with no true knowledge of where he comes from and that he doesn't know much about the world he comes from that worked.

Oh, and from how I have the Neverland Arc worked out, it'll be longer than five chapters, and the Darlings will make an appearance in the future. Personally though, I'm looking forward to the chapter when Eilonwy meets Regina. *starts to laugh evilly* I've got about ten different ways as to how their first exchange will go.

I do not own anything related to the Chronicles of Prydain, which is owned by Lloyd Alexander. I don't own the OUAT series either. I don't own the Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien does. And I don't own Tarzan or the Peter Pan books or movies or whatever.


	4. Author Note

Hey, guys, it's me again. Sorry for the late update.

I've been wracking my brain since I stopped updating, trying to come up with stuff for the Neverland arc, because-Well, Taran and Baelfire are going to be on Neverland for twelve more years before they're rescued, and Taran is going to be doing some heroics on Neverland, but I've only got a few tales that takes place on Neverland, one including Taran meeting his cousin, Ursula, and another where Taran and Baelfire rescues the Darling siblings. But with as much as I could come up with, it's still gonna be a pretty short and boring arc. So, unless you guys mind spitballing a few ideas, would you mind if I skipped straight to when they left Neverland so the story can really begin?

Oh, and Prince James will make an appearance now and then in the story. I thought that he'd make a good arch-nemesis for Taran, and Rumplestiltskin will be making occasional appearances also. You'll see why.


End file.
